Cook. Craft. Enjoy.

Week In Review

Since I haven't posted since Tuesday I thought I'd do a quick "week in review".

We've had a pretty busy week -- Liam was sick again with his allergies so back on breathing treatments he went.  The good news is I think we caught it early enough that he won't end up with pneumonia yet again this year.  Adrienne had a big project due this week in math -- a 5 paragraph essay and accompanying charts about a stock market project they've been working on (which you know is just as big of a job for mom as it is for her).

Travis hasn't had as much homework as he usually does so he's been working on his Warcraft character and getting his tailoring level up.  As for my Warcraft "career", I'm trying to decide exactly how I should spec my Paladin -- I was holy/ret for so long then last night switched to protection/holy and really didn't like it so back this morning to holy/ret I am.  (I know most of you have NO clue what I'm talking about so you can skip this ..oops, too late.)  For those of you "in the know", here's a screenshot I took last week of one of my guildies and I after we'd cleared Stratholme.  Gotta love that instance.   :)

Tomorrow is Travis' 16th birthday so last night we celebrated a little early with my brother -- I made ribs, some yucky broccoli salad (packaged from Costco -- it wasn't good AT ALL), garlic french fries and then a coconut cake.  So I'll have something to share tomorrow on his actual birthday, I'll share the rib recipe with you now and the cake tomorrow.

This recipe was originally from a post on rec.food.recipes many years ago (like, um, 15) and I wouldn't make them any other way.

Birthday Dinner

Tomorrow just happens to be my brother's birthday so when he came over for dinner tonight I thought it was only appropriate that I make him something "birthday-ee".  I asked him what he wanted and he replied "well, too bad Alpine Village Inn isn't around anymore".  So the best I could do is re-create a little bit for him.

For those of you (okay, almost all of you) who don't know about the Alpine Village Inn, it was a landmark restaurant here in Las Vegas until the late 90s (I found an article about it here if you'd like to read a little more).  They were where you'd go on your high school dates for prom just because it was so cool.  They were decorated like an old swiss village and served decent German food.  One of my brother's favorites was their cottage cheese "dip" they started you out with and so I started tonight's menu with that.  Simple but brings back so many memories.

If I had thought of it sooner, I would have made Sauerbraten but, alas, we were stuck with bratwurst and red cabbage sauerkraut tonight (tasty too).  That recipe comes from Food Network courtesy of Bobby Flay.

Dessert?  I had thought about going with a German Chocolate cake but finally went with Black Forest cake.  It went together fairly quickly and turned out great.

Adam, hope you have a wonderful birthday tomorrow.  :-)

 

PPN: Yummy Pasta and Sausage

For this week's Presto Pasta Night over at Ruth's Once Upon a Feast, I thought I'd share a recipe that we make quite frequently around here.  It doesn't have to be made with pasta, but I always give that as an option because most people like it with pasta.  Travis, on the other hand, prefers it on a roll as a sandwich but then again he's not a real pasta fan anyway.

It couldn't be simpler to make -- brown the sausages in a little olive oil and then remove to slice.  Add peppers, onion and garlic to the pan to get soft, add back in the sausages, 2 bottles of beer (any kind will do), a small can of tomato paste and a few shakes of hot sauce.  Cook until the sausages are cooked through.  I'll add the "real" recipe from All Recipes after the jump. :)

Tonight is also the first night of Hanukkah and I wanted to wish all that celebrate a happy one!

PPN: Pasta ala Adrienne

Unfortunately one of the areas that I find myself lacking as a parent is teaching the kids to cook meals.  The kitchen has always been my domain and I find it 10 times more difficult to have them cook with me than to do it myself.  (The only exception to that is baking -- they have helped me with that and we usually have a grand time.)

This weekend when I was preparing our menu for the week I decided it was about time to give up a little control in the kitchen and let Adrienne try to cook us dinner.  I thought I was picking an easy recipe for her out of one of our children's cookbooks:  DK Children's Quick & Easy Cookbook by Angela Wilkes.  Wow, I can tell you this was not easy.  Adrienne got bored with it after the first 40 minutes and left me to finish it up.  I'd love to say the taste was there but besides the topping, it was just bland and not something worth all the trouble.  I think next week (if I'm brave) I'll have to choose something even easier to get her started on.

I am, however, submitting this to Ruth's Once Upon a Feast for this week's Presto Pasta Night, and letting everyone know that you could probably streamline the recipe and let the kids do most of it. 

The recipe I chose was titled "Perfect Pasta" and looked like something everyone would like.  We started with chopping some onion and a garlic clove and cooking it over low heat until it was soft.  That in itself was difficult because even after 5 minutes on low we still were nowhere near being "soft".  I cranked up the heat a bit and shortly it got itself ready to add some canned tomatoes and a small amount of tomato paste.  That mixture then gets simmered for 10 minutes.  The only seasonings the recipe wanted you to add were salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar after the simmering was done.  That seemed way too bland for us so I had Adrienne add a little over a tablespoon of Italian seasoning from Pampered Chef before the initial simmer time.  (I also had her add a can of tomato sauce because I thought there was no way that little amount of tomato anything would coat almost a pound of pasta)

Our next step was to boil the pasta (thankfully I had started the water to boil before we started cutting the onion), and cook a pound of sausage.  The recipe wanted us to broil them so we tried but ended up with a warped baking sheet and sausages that stuck to the pan.  We improvised with that and took them out slightly browned but still raw and cut them into chunks and threw them into the sauce to cook through.  (I'd recommend doing what I usually do with sausage:  put them in the microwave covered with water and cook them for about 8 minutes.  Then remove the skin and slice them for your sauce.)

Once the pasta was done (we used penne), you mix the sauce and pasta together and stick into a baking pan.  A topping consisting of grated stale bread and cheese mixed together completed the dish and then it was baked in a 425 degree oven until the topping is crisp (20 minutes).  The recipe called for cheddar cheese but we opted for some freshly grated Parmesan.

Don and Adrienne both really liked it but like I said above I found it bland.  I did love the topping, though it seemed like it would be more at home on a dish of macaroni and cheese rather than this tomato based one.

Cucumbers and Onions

I think we had a pretty good day today ... I took the kids to see Shrek the Third (cute movie), the kids got to go swimming, and I got some stamping done for a package that has to go out on Tuesday.  Dinner was made this morning in the form of a crockpot meal:  Sesame Ribs.  Click on the name to go to the recipe if you'd like -- it wasn't good enough for me to reprint here.  I used country style bone-in pork ribs and they gave off way too much fat and had very little flavor.  I did end up taking the meat off what wasn't eaten and I think mixed with some BBQ sauce tomorrow it would make a good sandwich.

My "good" recipe tonight is one from my childhood -- cucumbers and red onions.  Love, love, love this stuff.  I'm not sure why I don't make it more often ... I really need to remember to keep a supply of cucumber in the house.  This week I found some awesome Persian cucumbers at Trader Joe's so that's what I used.  Yum!

Cucumbers and Red Onions

Slice 2 cucumbers and 1 red onion thinly.  In a measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Pour over cucumbers and onions.  Let site for several hours stirring every so often.

Brats and Pasta

Tonight I'm lucky enough to go out to dinner with my dear friend I rarely get to see (she's busy, I'm busy and we live half a city away from each other) so everyone else around here is getting leftovers.  Or, as the kids lovingly refer to it, an "anything" night.

One of our leftovers is a meal I made on Sunday -- Sausage with Peppers, Onions and Beer.  It's one I've made before but usually I have Italian sausage in the house.  This week I tried it with bratwurst.  The result?  Not as good as the Italian sausage, but decent.  A little strange as well since I served it with pasta and every bite you expected that Italian flavor. 

Best Ever Sausage with Peppers, Onions, and Beer
(courtesy of All Recipes)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds Italian sausage links
• 3 red bell peppers, sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, sliced
• 2 large red onions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (12 fluid ounce) bottles beer
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cook sausage until browned on all sides. Remove sausage from pan, and set aside. Pour in 1 bottle of beer to deglaze the pan, scraping up any blackened bits from the bottom. Place the red peppers, green peppers, onions and garlic in the pan. Stir in the remaining beer and the tomato paste. Season with oregano, cilantro, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer until onions and peppers are tender. Slice the sausages into bite size pieces, and add to the peppers. Cover, and simmer until sausage is cooked through.

Ham & Potatoes

What do you do when you have ham steaks in the refrigerator and don't know what to do with them?  Look on the Internet of course!  I searched a couple of sites and decided on a recipe from Sara Moulton:  Sauteed Ham Steak Pineapple.  To go along with it, I used a recipe that's been in my "to try" pile for a while, Stacey's Fabulous Purple Potato Gratin (though for this one I really changed things up a bit so it's only sort-of like the original).  How were they?  Delicious!  This is the first time in a while that I've seen Travis go back for seconds so I figure it was a hit with him too. 

Sauteed Ham Steak Pineapple
(courtesy of Sara Moulton)

• 2 (1/2-inch thick) ham steaks
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard (didn't have any so I doubled the Dijon)
• 3 (8-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, reserving liquid (I used 1 20-oz can)
• 1/4 cup orange juice (I used 1/2 cup grapefruit juice)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. From ham steak, remove rind and trim off all but 1/4-inch of outer fat. Cut ham into 4 serving pieces.
2. In a large saute pan set over moderately high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add ham steaks and saute for 3 minutes on each side, until steaks are lightly browned. Transfer ham steaks to plate.
3. Blot the pineapples as dry as possible. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to saucepan. Add pineapple and saute until the edges begin to caramelize, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pineapple and reserve. Add orange and pineapple juices to the pan and reduce by 1/2, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Whisk in Dijon and whole-grain mustards.
4. Transfer ham steaks back into saute pan. Add caramelized pineapple chunks and toss. Heat through thoroughly. Season, to taste.

Stacey's Fabulous Purple Potato Gratin
(courtesy of All Recipes)

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 leek, sliced (I used 1 onion, chopped)
• 8 purple potatoes, thinly sliced (I used a combination of red and white potatoes)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used 1/4 cup flour and 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning)
• 1/2 cup milk (I used fat free)
• 6 ounces crumbled goat cheese (I used extra sharp cheddar cheese)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until it starts to brown. Stir in leeks and cook until just tender.
3. Toss potatoes with flour and stir into leek mixture, coating thoroughly. Pour in milk and stir in goat cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Pour into a 7x11 inch baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender.

Ham Casserole

Last night's dinner was a throw together.  I wanted to use up the rest of the ham so I went over to All Recipes and found one I could modify a little with the ingredients I had on hand.  I opted for Tommy's Ham Casserole changing out the soup (didn't have cream of mushroom), adding more cheese and topping it with crushed tortilla chips.  How did it taste?  Not on my hit parade but edible - though Don, Travis and Adrienne all gobbled theirs up in record time.   So, I'd say it gets a thumbs up.

Ham Casserole

• 2 cups cubed ham
• 3 cups cooked macaroni
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 can condensed pepper jack soup
• 1/2 can milk
• 1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl combine the ham, macaroni, cheese, soup and milk. Mix together well.  Place in a greased casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Top with the tortilla chips and bake for 10 more minutes or until bubbly.

Ham, Smashed Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Bantering back and forth with the kids about what we're having for dinner is getting beyond tedious.   Tonight was no exception - I told them that if they didn't at least give me a couple of ideas  we were having pasta (yet again).  Liam said "that's good" Adrienne said "whatever" and Travis said "no way!"  So after the kids orthodontist appointments (which, btw, Travis gets his braces off next visit - yeah!) we stopped at Vons to get something for dinner.  After much walking back and forth around the store I settled on a (small) half ham, a bag of potatoes and a dozen and a half fresh Brussels Sprouts. 

The potatoes and ham were easy - smash the potatoes after boiling and slice and heat the ham (in a dry skillet).  The Brussels Sprouts, though, required a little more effort (though not much).  I keep trying to find ways to cook them so that anyone else in the family will eat them (except me - I happen to really like them).   This is also my addition to Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays.  Love making my family something healthy and being able to blog about it.

Brussels Sprouts w/Bacon

• 18 Brussels Sprouts
• 3 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut each Brussels Sprout in half through root end - discard any loose leaves.  Wash well.  Put sprouts in a microwave safe dish with 1/4 cup water and microwave 3 minutes or until slightly tender.  Drain.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop bacon and saute until crisp.  Remove bacon and reserve.  Add sprouts to pan and saute until slightly carmelized.  Add 1/4 cup water and cover, cooking about 4 minutes or until completely tender.  Remove cover and let the water evaporate and the sprouts caramelize a little more.  Sprinkle with reserved bacon and serve.

Another Sausage Sauce

Liam's favorite dinner is pasta - mostly just plain with Parmesan cheese or a simple smooth red sauce.  I, on the other hand, really don't like pasta that much but it ends up more often than not on our menu because it's quick, easy, and edible for most of the family.  Tonight was no exception ... I made it to Costco today to pick up some water, creamy peanut butter, apples, grapes and Dark Chocolate M&Ms (oh, and Liam also found Candy Cane Hershey Kisses (tried to find a link on Hershey's site, but they don't list them yet)).  Anyway, I didn't make it to the grocery store so I winged it with our sauce ...

I took a package of sweet Italian sausage, removed the casings, put them in some water and microwaved them for 9 minutes to begin the cooking process and extract some of the fat.  I then sliced them and added them to a saucepan with a chopped onion and 4 sliced cloves of garlic - cooked that until the sausage was browned and onions looked cooked.  Then I added about 1/2 cup white wine (was out of red), a large can of crushed tomatoes, a regular can of tomato sauce, a small can of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of Pampered Chef Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper.  Simmered that all for about an hour and a half and served it over tortellini and sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese.